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Eyesore or Art?

Doggie Diner was a chain of fast food eateries scattered about San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. They operated from the 1940’s until 1986 when they were forced out of business by competition from much larger establishments such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Jack in the Box. Each Doggie Diner was adorned with a 7 foot fiberglass dog head sign that was widely considered to be kitsch. But after the restaurants closed and the dog head signs came down a strange thing happened. People became nostalgic. What had once been thought of as an eyesore, and a blight, became art. The surviving dog head signs became sought after collector’s items. This previously maligned doggie near San Francisco’s Ocean Beach has been elevated to the status of a San Francisco landmark. Long may he smirk at us from his lofty perch. If he could speak I’m sure his words would be, “Take that Ronald McDonald!”